St. Louis District
Prepared by Kara Price at 314-34-4160
March 28, 2007
MoDOT Turns Missouri Orange for Work Zone Safety Awareness 2007 Marks Another Big Year for Construction
This construction season, the Missouri Department of Transportation is turning the state orange! Some MoDOT buildings and landmarks throughout the state will be lit orange from April 1-7 in recognition of National Work Zone Awareness Week, which marks the start of another big season of highway construction.
MoDOT’s Traffic Management Center will be lit orange on the front and the back of the building as well as its sign at the entrance of the TMC. A banner that says, "Work Zone Safety Awareness: Drive Smart to Arrive Alive" will also be displayed on the front of the TMC to show motorists why MoDOT has lit this building orange.
Corporations, organizations and landmarks within the St. Louis area are supporting MoDOT’s Work Zone Safety message of "Drive Smart in Work Zones to Arrive Alive." Some are lighting their buildings or landmarks orange while some are placing messages on their building and website to show the public the importance of work zone safety. The local supporters include:
-St. Louis Cardinals will post Work Zone Safety messages on Busch Stadium’s outside and inside message boards from April 1 to 7. -Maritz will place a huge banner along the south side of its Distribution Center for the month of April as well as place Work Zone Safety messages on its website.-Science Center will light the Planetarium orange from April 1-7 and place Work Zone Safety messages on its website. The Science Center is also putting up displays on the inside of its overpass to inform visitors why the Planetarium is lit orange and to explain the importance of Work Zone Safety.-Six Flags will shine an orange glow onto its marquee and its well-known Colossus (large Ferris wheel), which can be seen as motorists drive on I-44.
MoDOT and the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis are holding a kickoff event in observance of Work Zone Safety Day at 10 a.m. Monday, April 2, 2007 at the work zone of Olive Boulevard and I-170.
With the successful completion of the Smooth Roads Initiative that brought 2,200 highway miles up to good condition, MoDOT is now improving 5,600 miles of roadways over the next five years. The improvements will bring 85 percent of Missouri’s major highways up to good condition by 2011.
"The Smooth Roads Initiative was such a successful program and made a noticeable difference in the look and feel of our roadways," said Don Hillis, MoDOT director of System Management. "Although it will be a tough act to follow, we are excited about our new Better Roads, Brighter Future project. The successful completion of the project has the potential to prevent 85 injuries a year, save 10 lives a year, support more than 48,000 jobs, save $100 million a year in fuel costs and create more attractive places for businesses to locate."
The 2007 construction season will be the first with Missouri’s new work zone law that passed in August 2006. The law means big penalties for reckless drivers - injuring or killing a highway worker could cost $10,000, as well as losing your license for a year and/or jail time. New work zone signs reflecting the penalties can be found all over the state. The new law also strengthened several other provisions. More information about the newest laws can be found at http://www.modot.org/.
"We’re constantly making our work zones safer and smarter with new technology and brighter signs to help prepare drivers for what’s ahead," Hillis said. "We now have the tools to alert motorists about construction zones ahead of time."
But with 1,000 work zones this year, there will be some delays, frustrations and opportunities for drivers to be distracted. "We ask motorists to be patient with us and remember to always buckle up and Drive Smart," Hillis said.
Four MoDOT employees were killed last year in the line of duty. This year one of the messages in MoDOT’s work zone awareness campaign features Ken Hoierman, a worker who was tragically killed in August of 2006 in a work zone. The message urges drivers to Watch Out for Us. A statewide construction map can also be found on MoDOT’s Web site at http://www.modot.org/ and a memorial page for those killed at www.modot.org/workzones/inmemory.htm.
According to Missouri statistics, most work zone crashes are caused by inattention, excessive speed and following too closely. Motorists are the ones most likely to be killed or injured in a work-zone crash. In 2006, 20 people were killed and 1,197 injured in work zones.
"In the grand scheme of things, a few minutes of inconvenience means years of smoother, safer driving," Hillis said. "We’re doing our part to keep you moving through Missouri, but the difference is you. Drive Smart and Arrive Alive."
For more information about construction projects and work zones statewide, visit http://www.modot.org/ or call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (275-6636).
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